Faculty Members

Maggie started dancing at the age of 5, and has trained in Ballet, Jazz, Tap, Modern, and Lyrical, and began teaching dance in 1979

Sue took her first dance class when she was 4 and has not stopped dancing since

After choosing dance over intensive gymnastics at the age of 9 she began training in various styles, including classical ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical and contemporary dance

DuKane started training at an early age of 3. Continuing her love for dance she attended the University of Idaho in 2004 where she was a finalist at the 2008 American College Dance Festival for both performance and choreography.

The founder and director of the elite Seattle Hip Hop Dance Company “In-Effect”, Kari-Lee has choreographed for artists as well as produced and directed numerous shows such as Seattle’s own hip hop production “Shameless”

Deanna began dancing at the age of 3 and quickly learned that she had a passion for dance and has been dancing ever since

Lauryn is from San Francisco, CA. and started dancing in elementary with San Francisco Arts Foundation and Centerstage learning Modern dance and musical theater. She performed in productions like “The Event” with celebrities Robin Williams and Bobby McFerrin for several years. Living in the urban area of San Francisco, Lauryn learned Hip-Hop from the “streets.” After her move to Kirkland, WA. during high school, she created, co-captained and choreographed Groove dance team. During college, Lauryn trained in Hip-Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Lyrical, and Ballet at Westlake Dance Center under Kari-lee Florentine, Kim Gockel, Kirsten Cooper, and Sheri Lewis.

Notable dance companies and performances are: In Effect under Kari-Lee Florentine, Koncrete under Ron Gatsby, Passion under Julianna Diaz and K-L Movement under Kari-Lee Florentine; Sign Of the Times, Shameless, Bumbershoot, EnLair, Simply Dance, Evolvere and various commercials.

Tiffany Sparks-Keeney represented Dance Masters of America’s Chapter 39 as Miss Dance of the Pacific Northwest in 1995 where she placed in the top 10 nationally and received the first place tap award and the Directors’ Award. She went on to receive her Bachelor of Science in Dance from Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois where her tap influences included Billy Siegenfeld, Lane Alexander and Dianne Walker. Upon graduation she taught dance and drama to deaf and hard of hearing students at the International Center on Deafness and the Arts in Northbrook, Illinois. From there she decided to head to somewhere warmer, and for several years she danced in many different parades and shows throughout the four parks of the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. She continued her performing career onboard several Royal Caribbean Cruise ships where she enjoyed working with people from around the world and traveling to many different places. She received her Masters in Occupational Therapy from the University of Washington and her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Seattle University. She is passionate about arts inclusion and equity and works throughout Seattle and across the United States helping organizations expand their vision of accessibility to encompass the full range of human diversity through her consulting business, Inclusive Arts OT. She is thrilled to be back as a faculty member at one of her original tap dance homes, Gotta Dance!

Deepti Gupta has started at Gotta Dance in 2023.  She has a focus on both Bollywood and traditional Indian dance styles.

Emily began her dance education at 4 in Albany, New York, before moving with her family to Washington state. Here she trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet and International Ballet Theater, then began private coaching with Deborah Hadley. She moved to Pennsylvania at 15 to join Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, followed by Atlanta Ballet. After an injury, she returned to Washington state where she danced with The Stone Dance Collective, and taught alongside Deborah Hadley. She has since taught at several Seattle area schools, including Cascade Dance Academy,  Turning Pointe Dance Centre, and Dance Conservatory Seattle. She currently performs with Dance Theater Seattle. 

As a teacher, Emily focuses on technique and precision, and building individual artistry. She believes ballet is the math of dance, and that lessons learned in the studio are applicable across many aspects of life. She works to incorporate an attitude of inclusion and personal expression in her classes, goals that squarely intersect with the direction she hopes the dance world, and next generation of dancers are headed. 

Jacob is a third generation dance instructor in a family of great dancers. His 37 years of experience and devotion came through the tapestry of various studios, classes, conventions, and performances, encapsulating the very essence of the dance studio life. From his earliest steps, Jacob was enveloped in the performing arts world of tap, ballet, and jazz, under the tutelage of his family members who owned and operated dance studios – an environment where dance wasn’t just a passion, but a way of life.

Erin Franson started dancing at Gotta Dance in 2010, when she was 3 years old. She started with Tap and Ballet before later joining the competition team. She competed for 7 years in various styles including Tap, Jazz, Lyrical, Musical Theater, Contemporary and Hiphop. She now focuses more on teaching, performing, and learning dance covers. Erin is a part of the Coffee Dance performance team and K3rma dance crew. The groups perform around the Seattle area and film dance covers. 

Michelle began her dance journey at age 12. With over 30 years of experience, her interests and expertise are in jazz & jazz technique, lyrical, contemporary, ballet, musical theatre and modern. She loves spending time with her husband, two children and two dogs, as well as traveling with her family both for each of her childrens’

interests and activities and for fun and exploration. In her free time she spends time teaching locally and around the country, choreographing, teaching intensives and judging.

After three years at Chapman University in Orange, California and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Theatre, she began her teaching career based on kinesiology working through stretch/strength fundamentals and positive motivation, back home in the Bellevue/Issaquah area. Several of her students have gone onto professional careers locally and internationally and she is beyond proud to have been a part of their journey.

Michelle has studied under the guidance of Joe Tremaine, Joe Lanteri, Gus Giordano, Dave Massey, Doug Caldwell, Sean Greene, and several others. She has also had the privilege of performing as a member of the jazz-based Eastside Moving Company and modern/jazz Company Fusion, both in Seattle performing regionally and nationally.

After selling her own studio in Issaquah, Washington and teaching on the convention circuit, she continues to judge regionally and nationally for both Showbiz and Starpower Dance Competitions among others and continues to teach master classes and choreography across the country, all of which she feels so honored and blessed to continue to do. Michelle is always excited to be sharing her passion and absolute love for dance, as well as any knowledge and insight with students willing to pursue the heart and soul of dance as an innovative and expanding art form.

My name is Katy Maples, I’m 23 years old, and I’m based out of Seattle, Washington. Growing up, I was a competitive dancer for 6 years and trained in every style. I have been dancing for 17 years and I am going into my 6th year of teaching! I teach all styles/levels, but my favorite is Contemporary and Improv. Throughout the last few years, I have had amazing opportunities training with professional companies such as Vitality and MusEffect, where I gained so much knowledge on the industry as well as learning what it’s like in the real world as a professional dancer. This last dance season, I took on a different role and was a judge and backstage manager for Fly Dance Competition, which was such a fulfilling experience. I’ve also been lucky enough to be a pro assistant for 2 seasons and help work for an Arizona based contemporary convention called the BluePrint Alliance. As a teacher and choreographer, I choose to create a positive atmosphere for my students, and continue to keep actively training and learning in the dance industry, so that I can be a better teacher and role model for them.